Tomato Sauce – Passata

[sandersj89]

Couple of years ago I bought a Passata machine to process toms into a sauce for bottling. Mainly as we always run out of freezer space and freezing tomato sauce/soup was taking up too much room.

 

We now bottle approx 30 times 0.5l jars a year using home grown tomatoes. This is great simply poured over pasta, added to fried bacon and put over pasta or used in casseroles/stews.

 

Here is the machine:

 

 

Very simple hand cranked bit of kit that strips away the skins and seeds and leaves you with the pulp. If you put the pips and skin through 3 or 4 times you extract all the juice.

 

Some of the toms processed today:

 

 

Once the toms have been put through the machine I simply sweat of a couple of onions and some garlic and add to the tomato juice, season and then put on a low heat for an hour of so to reduce it down to a nice thick consistency. I also shred a hand full of basil and pop that in as well.

 

 

Once the sauce has reached the right consistency I pour into sterilised kilner jars, pop on the lids and then simmer in a water bath for 30 mins to seal it all in.

 

The jars then keep happily for 12 months plus.

 

 

Beats any tomato sauce you can buy.

 

Jerry

[njc110381]

So why didn't you post this earlier

 

I'm really keen to try this, but I have a question. Why do you need to boil the jars once filled? Surely they're sealed as soon as the lid is put on? I wish I'd have known this trick before I filled the freezer up with takeaway trays full of the stuff

[sandersj89]

So why didn't you post this earlier

 

I'm really keen to try this, but I have a question. Why do you need to boil the jars once filled? Surely they're sealed as soon as the lid is put on? I wish I'd have known this trick before I filled the freezer up with takeaway trays full of the stuff

 

Boiling them creates the seal so they last for 12 to 18 months.

 

Once you boil them remove from the water and give the lid a final tighten, you will then see the lid dip in. You often hear a click. You then know there is a vacuum in the jar.

 

When you come to use the jar the next day, week, month, year you get an audible pop as you remove the sealed lid, just like jars of sauce you buy.

 

You can use recycled jars but I have bought a job lot of preserving jars as they are stronger and you can buy replacement lids:

 

http://www.ascott.biz/acatalog/Glass_Preserving_Jars.html

 

This is the same place I got the passata machine from as well.

 

I am happy to keep my jars of sauce for 12 months but check for a good seal when I open them. Another 3 jars on the boil as I type this.

 

Jerry

[JohnGalway]

You're making me hungry

[Mungler]

Nice one Jerry. I wish I had seen the link to that website before - I spent fortunes on pickling jars as the only place I could find was my local hardware store.

 

Incidentally, my chilli production is in full effect and my current plan is to blend the chillis with tomatoes to make a chilli sauce which can then be frozen.

 

The other chillis are currently drying out on the window cill (the hotter ones).

[sandersj89]

Nice one Jerry. I wish I had seen the link to that website before - I spent fortunes on pickling jars as the only place I could find was my local hardware store.

 

Incidentally, my chilli production is in full effect and my current plan is to blend the chillis with tomatoes to make a chilli sauce which can then be frozen.

 

The other chillis are currently drying out on the window cill (the hotter ones).

 

I will post a very simple recipie for a chillie relish I make, very good ideed on all cold meats or at barbeque time.

 

Jerry

[pin]

Nice one Jerry. I wish I had seen the link to that website before - I spent fortunes on pickling jars as the only place I could find was my local hardware store.

 

Incidentally, my chilli production is in full effect and my current plan is to blend the chillis with tomatoes to make a chilli sauce which can then be frozen.

 

The other chillis are currently drying out on the window cill (the hotter ones).

 

De-seed dry and grind into chili powder / pepper (depending on variety)